Arriving after the deliberately overblown The Outsiders – an outlaw album pumped up on steroids, gaining its resonance through its slow songs – Mr. Misunderstood feels like a correction: a swift, modest album shorn of excess, released without an iota of pre-release hype. Devoid of the arena rock feints that dogged The Outsiders – there are no two-part metallic jams, no salutations to damn rock & roll – Mr. Misunderstood is hardly a back-to-basics move or a refutation of his over-amplified indulgences. Rather, this 2015 record pulls together the strands Church left hanging on his 2014 set, never shuffling country and rock – or blues or soul, for that matter – into their own categories…
Hanging In The Balance can be considered Metal Church’s coming of age. They really hit their creative prime here. The lyrics and music are well refined. The production is crystal clear thanks in part to producer Paul O’Neill, famous for his excellent work with Florida metal band Savatage. This album is highly recommended to anyone who is looking for a great thrash/power metal record as well as any REAL fan of Metal Church…